Why Green Berets Are The Smartest, Most Lethal Fighters In The World

They call themselves the quiet professionals, but we know them as Green Berets. Their official title is U.S. Army Special Forces (SF), and they are one of the most elite fighting groups in the world.

Their mission is unconventional warfare — taking small SF teams to train and lead guerrilla forces.

SF soldiers work together in a 12-man "A-Team," with each man holding a specific job: The ranking officer is the team leader, the weapons sergeant knows just about every weapon in the world, the communications sergeant tees up ordnance or extract, and the medics can take lives as quickly as saving them.

It may seem crazy to send only 12 guys into a hostile country, but it's not crazy when they are Special Forces.

Recommended For You

The Board Room

Editors' Picks

Maybe the Brits. Not sure about the JAFAs. JTF2 in Canada - probably on par with US Army Special Forces but they're closer to Delta Force - maybe a tad shy due to their relative age (went active only in 1992). Canada also has Special Forces battalions. Ironically, despite the country being 3/4 surrounded by water, we have no naval commandos per se. SAS possibly on par because they're one of the oldest. But you'd be surprised how many countries have at least one special forces unit and for the most part, they're all top notch. Interesting factoid about the US Army Special Forces: they trace their lineage both to the OSS and the 1st Special Service Force - known as the Devil's Brigade - which was made up of American and Canadian unconventional soldiers.